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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump formally approved temporary exclusions from steel and aluminum tariffs until May 1 for six nations and the European Union.
Tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports go into effect on Friday for nations not covered by exclusions. The president late Thursday suspended tariffs for the following: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, European Union nations and South Korea. Effectively that means tariffs will apply to three major steel exporters: China, Russia and Japan.
Read: China plans $3 billion in retaliatory tariffs against U.S. goods
Political leaders had been furiously lobbying for exclusions before the Friday deadline. The U.S. initially granted them to Mexico and Canada as part of negotiations to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement. The U.S. is now conducting talks on steel and aluminum tariffs with other nations.
The exclusions granted are temporary. According to a White House statement, the administration will decide whether to extend the exemptions based on how negotiations are progressing.
An expanded version of this story can be found at WSJ.com.
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